


Retrieval

by MarauderAO3



Category: Wolfwalkers (2020)
Genre: Adventure, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:13:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28680168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarauderAO3/pseuds/MarauderAO3
Summary: Several months after their defeat of 'Lord Protector' Oliver Cromwell in the Kilkenny forest, the Goodfellowe and MacTíre families have settled into their new nomadic lifestyle... mostly. When the parents head out to find food for the pack, Mebh's carelessness leads both her and Robyn on an impromptu journey back to the civilization that had tried to kill them.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 44





	1. A Mistake Made in Earnest

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first 'fanfiction' I've ever done on this site, considering my only other published work at the time of writing is a screen-to-paper adaptation of the original Wolfwalkers film. Since the other is almost entirely an artistic interpretation of an already existing work, that one will take precedence due to the speed of publication and foreseeable conclusion. This story is meant to adhere as closely as possible to the original canon, so presumptions about the in-universe world will be kept to a bare minimum. Any 'OC' is purely meant to flesh out the pre-existing world. That being said, please enjoy the story. Please leave a comment if there is anything I can improve upon.

The lake stood almost completely undisturbed, reflecting the peaks of the mountains on the far banks. A picturesque locale, yet to be overtaken by the constant development of civilization.

Up on the hillside overlooking the near bank, a young girl was slowly scaling down the rocks and moving between the trees to reach the shore. Carrying nothing other than the robes on her back and a broken arrowhead, she travelled lightly, and a good thing too, as it would have been a pain to move anything else back up the hill. Once she reached the shore, she aligned her sights with a view of the opposite bank. Using the arrowhead, she cut out a rough square of bark from the nearest tree and ripped it off, then sat next to one of its roots and began carving a picture on the smooth side of the bark. 

Farther up that same hill, a wolf with auburn fur quietly stalked the girl on the shore. It laid in the shadows, careful not to make a sound. After a few minutes of positioning, satisfied with its angle of attack, it readied itself, then sprang into motion. A straight shot at the girl, the wolf darted out of the brush, leapt over the tree roots, and let out a deafening roar right in the girl's face. 

And there was no reaction at all.

This puzzled the wolf. It raised the girl's hood using its snout, and...

She was asleep. Fast asleep. Her arms had gone limp, arrowhead and bark still in hand. She was snoring, even. 

The wolf was so preoccupied with this fact that it barely registered the _other_ wolf barreling at it from the top of the hill, until they collided, and both went flying into the lake. 

Struggling to right herself, Mebh finally breached the surface of the lake, a grimace on her face, or the closest thing a wolf _could_ make to a grimace. Robyn surfaced after, giggling uncontrollably.

"Stop it. It's not funny, y'know." She started paddling back to shore.

Robyn was so busy laughing at her own prank that she didn't even bother to answer, and followed Mebh to land. "What do you mean, 'it's not funny'?" she said between laughs. "You should have seen the look on your face! Serves you right for trying to scare me like that!"

Mebh rolled her eyes, and shook off the water on her coat. Robyn did the same, and proceeded to jump back into her human body. Awakening from slumber, she put the finishing touches on her carving, put away the arrowhead, and followed Mebh back up the hillside. 

"You have to admit, I did pretty well for someone who's usually on the other end of _your_ jokes." Robyn caught up to walk alongside Mebh. "In fact, I bet you're thinking of one right now to play on me as payback." She shot a sideways glance.

Mebh sighed. "I guess you got me this time, Townie." The both of them had nearly reached the crest of the hill. 

"Mebh, we've been living together for more than half a year now. I've been with you longer than I was in that place. Do you think you could drop the name?" 

Mebh shot a sharp toothy smile back at Robyn. "Nah."

At the top of the hill, the pair followed the grass-covered road back to the Wagon. It was more of a trail, since it was a bit too rough in places for the average work cart. Seeing other travelers on such a path was highly uncommon, but still possible, so the two remained vigilant as they walked. Seeing a girl walking with a wolf so nonchalantly would have certainly raised more than a few questions than either was willing to deal with. 

They were about half of the way to the Wagon when Mebh asked something that had been bothering her. "Robyn, why do you hold on to that hood? It's the symbol of a hunter. You know, the one thing out to get us all the time?" 

Even though Robyn was a bit uncomfortable doing so, she answered anyway. "It was a gift from my mum before she died. Other than Merlin, this is all I have to remember her by. I mean, it still has that rip in the back from when I first met you, so it's more of something to remember everything by." 

Mebh glanced at the tear in the robe. "Oh, yeah."

A few minutes later, they reached the alcove where the Wagon was hidden from sight from the trail. Mebh's mother sat beside a cauldron set above a fire, looking unsure of the job she was doing with the stew simmering inside. She looked up and was happy to see that the pair had returned. "Hello, little ones. How was your trip to the lake?" 

Mebh huffed. "We took a swim." She trotted off to the rock wall the Wagon was parked beside, where both her and Robyn's father's unconscious bodies lay peacefully. 

Móll laughed. "I could tell." She turned to Robyn. "Dear, could you help me with this stew? Bill may have left out a few steps when he explained the process to me, and I'm certainly no good with cooked foods." 

"Of course." She laid her carving and her hood next to the crest of the alcove and came over to examine the pot. 

Mebh came around from the other side of the Wagon, in human form. "What's the point of all this stuff that needs FIRE? Fresh raw meat is the _good_ stuff. Tastes better, easier to find, and it doesn't need something added to it that can kill you." 

Mebh's mother sighed. "Everyone needs to try something new once in a while. Look at Robyn and her father. They've done nothing else but adapt to a new life for the past few months, and they're handling themselves just fine." 

Mebh scoffed and laid down on a boulder nearby. 

Robyn looked up from the pot. "It looks fine to me. Just needs to stay on the fire for another hour or two." She noted the distinct lack of wolves in the area. "Where's the pack?" 

"They've gone out with Merlin and your father to find something to snack on." 

"...during the daytime?"

"The pack hasn't had much to eat these last few days. A few rabbits here and there, but not enough to feed them all. There's not much wildlife in the area, apart from us. Hope is we might find something better during the daytime. Part of me worries that your father might find something out there he doesn't know how to handle."

That last part worried Robyn. "What do you mean, 'something'?" 

"I've been a wolfwalker my whole life, child. Been nearly everywhere on this isle, and I can tell you from my own experiences that our kind are not the only ones in this land to wield magic." 

Mebh perked up. "Yeah, you better watch out for fairies, selkies, maybe even a _people-eating dragon!_ " Mebh made a face, lifted her arms, and started pretending that she was one of the dragons she spoke of, flailing her arms about and making an assortment of noises.

Robyn's initial fear gave way to a bout of giggling at Mebh's antics. Móll smiled, sighed, and went back to tending the fire under the cauldron. Mebh fell over, laughing at her own joke. 

Robyn went to pick up her stuff and had just finished putting it in the wagon when she heard a familiar screech from the skies above. Merlin swooped down and landed on Robyn's arm, squawking with joy. "It's good to see you too, Merlin." From around the crest of the alcove came her father and the rest of the pack, noses held downwards. 

Móll stood up from her place by the fire. "Did you find anything worthwhile?" 

"Two rabbits and a badger. Nothing else. Móll, the pack can't live like this much longer. We can sustain ourselves on greens; they can't. We need to find some real food for them soon." 

Mebh turned over onto her belly and faced Bill. "No deer? Not even a fox?" 

"'Fraid so." Bill mosied over to where his body lay limp against the wall and jumped back into it. The moment he awoke, he shivered. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that." 

Móll let Bill take charge of the stew pot, and signaled to the pack, "Alright, you lot. Off to bed. We'll need to do some traveling tonight if we're going to find some real food for you." The twenty or so wolves that had been with them since that fateful day months ago all looked like they were on the verge of malnutrition. It hurt to see them like this. They settled down to sleep as Robyn's father declared the stew was just about ready to eat.

###### 

The sun had set, and the Wagon was back on the trail after Móll retrieved the horse from its grazing session. It was pitch black out, save for the stars and the Wagon's two lanterns. The pack followed sullenly behind it. Bill and Mebh were left with driving duty, and Robyn and Móll were left as wolves to keep the rear end of the pack from shedding any members on the night's trip. 

"How long have you known the pack?" Robyn asked.

"I've been with this pack of wolves ever since I was your age. I've known at least four different generations of wolves in this pack alone; up until the English came about and captured me, the cave in the Kilkenny forest had been my home for generations. Even now that the cave's been abandoned, I promised myself that I'd never leave behind the pack. They're as much my family as you are." She paused to nudge back a wolf at the edge of the pack that had started drifting off sideways from the group. "Staying in one place meant a concrete source of food. I've never seen it get this bad."

"Why don't we just turn around to where we found food before?"

"Bill tried scouting that area too. Winter's coming in, and many of our sources of food are going into hibernation or have simply migrated out of our reach." She thought for a moment. "I know of a place where the pack might be able to find food, a valley rife with the kinds of green-eaters the could feed our pack. But it's a day's travel from here on foot, and we wouldn't be able to bring the wagon, so that is only a last resort for now."

"Mebh and I could take care of the Wagon while you'd be gone. I know how to prepare vegetables! Merlin wouldn't be a problem to care for, either."

Móll looked at Robyn. "You make a compelling case, young one." She ran to the front to signal to Bill to stop the Wagon. As it did, the pack just about collapsed in their tracks from exhaustion. 

Bill looked back at Robyn from the driving seat. "Are you sure about this, lass? Two days amongst yourselves in unfamiliar land?"

Mebh shot back. "I lasted without Mammy for a whole month, and I'm alright! Try giving us some credit," she said, crossing her arms.

He sighed. "Very Well."

They moved the Wagon into a clearing a fair ways from the trail, and set up camp. As the sun began to rise over the horizon, Bill and Móll laid themselves in the rear of the Wagon and leapt into their wolf forms. "I trust you girls can handle yourselves for two days, although our trip may last longer." 

"Be careful, young ones," Móll added. 

Robyn reassured them: "We'll be okay."

"If anybody tries messing with us, we'll scare them off!" Mebh added.

Móll nodded in response. The next thing the girls knew, she and Bill had taken the pack with them and were into the woods.

Robyn sighed. "Want to take a look around?"

Mebh looked back at her. "Unless you have any better ideas."

"Alright, then." Robyn climbed into the Wagon and released Merlin from his birdcage. "Look for anything interesting around here. We'll follow." Merlin chirped in understanding and took off. The pair followed Merlin back to the 'road', and watched as he swooped around in the air, absorbing his surroundings. It wasn't long before he swooped down and started making noise about a discovery. As Robyn and Mebh drew closer, the sounds of rushing water filtered through the trees. Before long they had arrived; a gargantuan mountain stream, funneling off the side of a rock face. At the bottom, roughly a good fifty feet below the trail's ground level, lay a small pond where the water pooled.

"I've _got_ to get a carving of this." Robyn brandished her arrowhead, carved some bark off a nearby tree, and slowly started making her way down to the pond. 

Mebh watched as Robyn shimmied down from ledge to ledge, and yelled out, "You're making things too complicated!"

Robyn looked up just in time to see Mebh make a series of graceful leaps down to the bottom in her wolf form. It concerned her a little, reminding her, "You're leaving your body out in the open!"

"So what? _Nobody_ uses this road anyway. It's ours for all I care. Should be what you care, too!"

Robyn finished her descent to the bottom at the same time that Mebh decided it was a good idea to take a swim in the cold water. "R- Refreshing," she said, quite obviously shivering and regretting her series of decisions as she paddled back to dry land, where Robyn was in the midst of finishing her carving. Mebh shook off the water on her coat right next to Robyn.

"Ugh, really?! You couldn't have done that elsewhere?" Robyn brushed the water off of her carving and started adding the final touches.

"Nope, sorry. Can you hurry up, too? I need to dry off somewhere where I'm not being deafened by rushing water." 

"You go up ahead. I'll catch up."

Mebh shrugged, or did the closest thing that wolves _could_ do to shrugging, and started scaling the sheer rock face nigh-effortlessly. When she reached the top, however, her apathy turned to full-on panic. 

**"ROBYN! COME QUICK!"**

Immediately judging by the tone of Mebh's voice, Robyn knew that something terrible had just happened. She launched Merlin up into the sky, and scrambled back up the rockface as fast as her arms could carry her. By the time she had reached the top, it was too late. Mebh was caressing her snout in the middle of the road. Her body was nowhere to be seen. "What just happened?!"

"M-My body! That man took my body!"

### 

Oisin was only a simple supplyman, and one with a notoriously bad route to boot. Half the time he thought his whole job was a sick joke by his employer. Armed with a horse, a simple work cart, and a club in case of attack, he was woefully underprepared for whatever could have laid on the road ahead. Well, it was a road up to a point. Eventually it was just a path through the countryside. The usual fare was to pick up leather from Limerick, move it to Galway, return to Limerick, repeat ad nauseum. The route rarely ever changed. On that particular morning, however, something halted him only two hours into his trip. As he came up on the mountain stream falls near Doon Lough, he spotted something in the grass. When it was close enough to see, his eyes went wide open. 

It was a little girl, barely older than 10, lying in the grass face down. He stopped the cart and jumped down.

"Uh... hello?" He looked around. No adults in sight. 

The girl didn't even move.

Oisin walked over and turned her over by the shoulder. She was asleep, or at least it seemed so at first glance. Her breathing was rapid and shallow. Oisin grew worried. He knew wolves patrolled the area, as he'd more than once come across one hungry for the flesh on his bones. Leaving her out here would have been wishing death upon her. What worried him even more was that no matter how hard he shook her, she wouldn't wake up. She wasn't wounded, but she was definitely in trouble. 

He made the difficult decision to take her back to Limerick. He assured himself that it was the right thing to do. What else was he going to do? Leave her lying there in the grass?

Clearing out some space in his cart, he raised the girl by the arms and set her down in the cart as comfortably as he thought he could. Just as he was about to turn on the path back to limerick, he heard a series of barks behind him. Speak of the devil.

The wolf started charging at Oisin's cart, growling as it ran at him. In a panic, he jumped off the seat, grabbed for the club, and swung just as the wolf lunged at him. By some sort of miracle, the hit connected, and the wolf landed in the grass on its side. He dived back to the seat and grabbed hold of the reins. "Get going, ya eejit!"

The horse started galloping at top speed away from the scene of the attack, and Oisin looked back to make sure they weren't being pursued. After a good ten seconds, he let go of his breath, and took at a look at his passenger, just having saved her life. He hesitated for a moment. Her hair. Was it the same color as-?

He shook it off. Just a coincidence. 

Right?


	2. A Chase Given in Vain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Mebh's human body now in the hands of a stranger, the duo scrambles to catch up with the kidnapper.

"What do you _mean_ 'that man took your body'? Are you saying someone stole you?!" Robyn was already breaking into a cold sweat.

"What _else_ could that mean?! I'm **saying** that man kidnapped me human body!" Mebh was practically yelling over the ringing in her ears, even with her paws clamped over them.

"Who are you even talking about? There's nobody here!" It wasn't as if Robyn wasn't trying to look; she ran out farther in the road's bend to see farther down each way. No sign of humans. 

Mebh slowly got up on her own, struggling to maintain balance, even on all fours. "Of course he's not here anymore, ya noggin. He just rode off on his cart. A _horse_ drawn one, as well. Not a mule, or a donkey. Noooo. He had to have a _horse_ pulling that cart. And of course, because some people don't know how to solve a problem without hitting it over the head first, he had to whack me in the bloody gob as well." 

Robyn saw the large bruise on the left side of Mebh's snout that had begun to inflame and turn a deep shade of purple. "Mebh, you're hurt. We should take a moment to stop and take care of that before it gets worse." 

Mebh hesitated for a moment, looking in the direction in which the man had gone, before thinking better of it and trotting over to Robyn. "Mammy's gonna kill me. _Again._ " 

"Yeah, well, I'm not the one who decided to Walk in the middle of the road. Now, I'll need you to hold still. I still haven't gotten the technique quite down pat yet." Robyn lifted her arm into the air, let out a soft howl, watched as her hand enveloped itself in golden light, then brought it down softly upon Mebh's snout. The bruise healed almost completely, but there was still the slightest tinge of maroon behind her nose. Mebh scoffed.

"I could have done better."

Robyn fired back, "Yeah, well, right now we don't have a choice. We need to follow that man. If we start running now, we might catch up to him." Robyn got up off her knees to tie her hair into a braid, then paused. "Agh, no! The Wagon! If we leave it on its own someone might come along and take our things, or worse." She chewed her lip.

Mebh sighed. "Look, Robyn, we either get me body back while we still can, or we stay at the Wagon for **two whole days** and give our parents _another_ thing to worry about."

Robyn pondered for a moment, before the answer came to her, clear as day. She signalled Merlin down to earth. Letting him perch on her arm, Robyn instructed, "Merlin, we'll need you to look after the Wagon. If someone comes by, make sure they don't find it. If it's as we left it when we come back, I'll give you all the seed you can shove in that beak of yours, alright?" Merlin twittered in agreement, and flew in the direction of the Wagon.

"You're leaving our things behind with Merlin? How's a tiny falcon like him supposed to defend that big thing?" 

Robyn looked offended. "Merlin is the best falcon anyone could ever ask for. If there's _any_ bird responsible enough to take care of the Wagon, it's him. Now, let's go." Robyn set off at a quick pace, and Mebh followed, trying to ignore the throbbing headache in the back of her skull.

The even though grass had grown over most of the road, the rocks underneath were harsh on human feet. As Mebh was managing the pain in her head, Robyn was trying to ignore the blisters forming on her soles. An hour had passed before the duo stopped. Robyn caught her breath. "We need... a better plan." 

"We could both go as wolves," Mebh said.

Robyn shook her head. "No... if he makes it back to the city he left from before us, your body will be stuck inside its walls. If we try to break your body out as wolves, they'll capture us or kill us. The Wagon isn't an option either. I don't know how to attach the horse to it, much less drive it." 

Mebh looked quizzically at her. "You've been on driving duty over a hundred times by now. You're telling me that you never handled the reins _once_?" 

"It was always my father or your mother. I did watch 'em, but I didn't commit it to memory." Robyn accepted the unfortunate truth. "My legs are going to fall off if I keep running like this." 

"Pull yourself together, Townie. The city can't be _that_ far."

Robyn sighed and rolled her eyes at the mention of the nickname. After applying pressure to her soles to dull the pain, she began running again.

It would be another thirty or so minutes before the two came before something of interest. In the road ahead was a fork, going to the left and to the right of the trail at harsh angles. In the corner opposite the trail was a signpost with two arrows, each pointing down one of the two branches. 

Mebh squinted at the signs. "What's it say?" 

Robyn looked back at her. "Y- You can't read?" 

Mebh looked at Robyn with a blank expression. "I've lived in a cave me whole life, Robyn. What would I ever use writing for?" 

"I don't know, I thought you might... ugh, never mind." Robyn turned back to the post. "OK, the sign pointing to the left says 'Limerick, twelve miles'. The other says 'Galway, fifty-three miles'. Ugh, which way did he go?" 

"Twelve sounds like less than fifty-three. I'd say that where the culprit is. Probably so he could hide me in the smelly place as quickly as he could, the creep." 

"But what if he went the other way?" 

"Robyn, we **need** to decide. Every second we wait is one he gets away from us. I like being a wolf, but I _don't_ want to be one forever." 

"Limerick it is, then. I hope for your sake that you're right, Mebh." 

The two continued on, with each passing moment sinking their spirits just a bit more. Taking her mind off the issue at hand, Robyn thought about what the pack and their parents would have been doing right at that moment. Knowing that the pack was probably getting the sustenance they so desperately needed lifted her spirits, if just for a minute.

As Robyn retreated into her thoughts, Mebh couldn't stop focusing on the road beneath her paws, dwelling on her anger. She was going to _maul_ that man. **Nobody** kidnaps a MacTíre and gets away with it. The last who tried met his end in a ravine, and so help Mebh if she wasn't going to make the same happen to this one. 

Robyn was the first to notice the cart approaching them, far off into the distance. She stopped in her tracks. "Mebh." She wasn't paying attention. "Mebh!" 

She looked up out of annoyance. "What is it, Robyn?" Robyn pointed in front of them, and while she couldn't _see_ anything, Mebh soon felt the smell of hay. 

"Hide, quick!" The both of them dove into the brush near the road, finding a place to look out from without being spotted. Pretty soon, the cart came into view: It was pulled by a mule and driven by a stout, middle-aged woman. In the back was a huge stack of hay bales, each one nearly the size of Mebh. As the two watched it pass in front of them, Robyn had yet another idea. "What if we asked her to take us to Limerick? It would save us the trouble." 

Mebh looked at Robyn in disbelief. "Are you _mad_? How d'you think she'd react if she sees me like this? She'd scream and turn back and soon the whole city would be hunting us down." 

"Trust me," Robyn said. Next thing Mebh knew, Robyn had emerged from the brush and was running towards the cart. 

"Robyn, what are you doing?!" Mebh ran after Robyn to stop her, but it was too late. She was already waving her arms and yelling like a lunatic.

"Hey! Madam! Over here!" The cart driver turned their head a little, as if they needed to get a better hearing angle. By the time they actually turned to look, Robyn was right beside the cart. "Madam, I'm sorry to disturb you, but we've lost our way and really need to get to Limerick."

The driver squinted at Robyn. "Limerick? I left that place hours ago, and I 'ent going back. Lass, if you want to go there, find someone else to take ya. How did you get out 'ere anyway?" 

As Robyn fumbled over her words trying to explain herself, Mebh slowly walked up to the cart, extremely careful not to make any sudden moves. It didn't matter in the end, as when the driver saw Mebh, Their eyes went wide with fear.

**"WOLF!"**

As the driver scrambled to get a weapon, Robyn went, "Wha...?" And turned to see Mebh standing right beside her with an expression that clearly said 'I told you so'. Out of panic, Robyn thought something up on the spot. "Wait, stop! That's not a wolf!"

The driver paused, with the dagger they had fished out of the back in hand. "What do you mean 'that's not a wolf'? Are you out of your mind, girl?" The driver stopped, looking confused. "Although... it hasn't you attacked yet."

"That's because it's my... uh, dog!" Mebh scowled at Robyn, partially for the lazy excuse and partially for calling her a dog.

The driver put down their dagger. "Doesn't look like any dog I've ever seen, what with those ears, the tail, not to mention the claws."

"It's a... um... special breed. They're for... er... hunting! Yeah. Hunting."

The driver studied Robyn and Mebh. "Why would a small girl like you and a hunting dog be this far from the city?"

Robyn once again scrambled to find an excuse, until she realized she already had the perfect one lined up in memory. Crossing her arms, she explained, "We were with me father. He's a hunter. Best in the land. We wandered off too far and now we can't find him. Told me to go back to the city if things went wrong." Robyn technically wasn't lying; her father _was_ a hunter, just one that hadn't practiced for nearly half a year.

The driver squinted at Robyn. "All right, girl, I'll take you back, but be aware. If that 'dog' of yours acts up, I'll kick you both off before you can sneeze."

"Thank you. It means a lot," she said, retreating to the back of the cart to climb aboard. Mebh jumped up to join Robyn in the rear.

"'Hunting dog'? Are you serious? You called me a ' _hunting dog_ '?"

"Look, now we have transportation. I'm sorry I called you a dog, it's just the first thing that came to mind." As the driver turned the cart around, Robyn turned on her side to watch the trees go by. Mebh sighed and lay down, as well.

After many hours had passed, and the sun was halfway set, the cart had finally reached Limerick. "Alright, girl, this is where you get off."

Robyn and Mebh jumped down from the cart, needles of hay caught in hair and fur respectively. "Thank you for the ride, madam. I'll be sure to tell my father."

The rider looked into the sky. "Sun's pretty low. I suppose I'll be delaying my own delivery. Also, if ye can, ask your father what the name of the breed is. That dog hasn't left our side all day. I need a dog like that."

Robyn looked at Mebh. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her eyelids were halfway closed. "Oh... I'll be sure to ask him."

The driver chuckled a little, then drove her cart through the city gates. Just beyond the walls, Robyn could hear hundreds of people going about their business. "Well, I guess we start here, Mebh. I'll ask around... Mebh?" By the time Robyn turned around, Mebh was in mid-yawn.

"What? Oh. Yeah, I guess. Just a bit... uh..."

"Tired?"

"Tired, yeah. I'll shake it off." Mebh was completely out of it.

Robyn looked at her with concern. "If you say so."

Before Robyn could take the steps across the threshold, the guards crossed their pikes in front of her. "Hey!"

The guard on the left deadpanned, "No dogs in the city. It's the law." It was a tone Robyn knew all too well.

"Well, where am I supposed to take he- I mean, it?" Robyn crossed her arms.

"Well, little girl, first you might want to find a responsible adult to take care of your hygiene. Ya stink." The two guards laughed at their own joke. It wasn't even funny. 

"Are you going to help me or act _under_ my age?" 

The two guards stopped their fit of laughing. "Alright, to be serious, little girl, the only place you can put your dogs out here is the kennel, and it's about a minute's walk that way - " He pointed to a vague area to his left. "- if that even is a dog."

Robyn rolled her eyes. "Thank you for doing the bare minimum." She walked away from the guards' earshot. "Mebh, I don't think it'll be that easy to get you inside."

Mebh stared lazily at Robyn, half-aware of the words she was saying. "In... side?" 

Robyn snapped her fingers in front of Mebh's face. "Wake up, will ya? We're so close to getting your body back. All you need is to get these last few steps in and then we can stop worrying." 

"I... I don't think I have it in me, Robyn." Mebh grew a little concerned at that. "I've never tried going to sleep... as a wolf."

Robyn sighed out of concern. "I'm sure you'll be fine. We just need to find a place for you to sleep." Robyn looked up and around. "That guard did say something about a kennel..."

They headed off in the general direction the guard had gestured to and soon came across a shack, from which a lot of barking could be heard. Robyn headed in with Mebh at her side, only to be met with a tired looking boy sitting in a chair by his lonesome, making shadow puppets with the light of the setting sun. Behind the table he sat at was a wall covered by planks, with gaps in between. Behind that was a small room covered in hay needles, containing a group of dogs of all shapes and sizes. Some were sleeping on the floor, others barking at each other, and one large, white sheepdog was standing just behind the wooden grate, panting at the boy. He looked towards Robyn and Mebh. "Two coins per night."

"Oh, uh... we don't have anything to give you."

"Then bugger off."

"Wait, please! We were separated from my father while he was taking us on a hunting trip! I can't take her inside without him, and I don't want to leave her alone."

The boy deliberated. "Alright. I'll let you keep your dog here for tonight. **Only** tonight, you understand?"

Robyn nodded slowly.

"The dog goes with the others; you'll have to go back to your home in the city. No loiterers." 

She made up an excuse on the spot. "Oh, I can't... uh... get into our place without my father's key."

The boy studied Robyn with his gaze, then shrugged. "All right, you can stay here at the table. First thing in the morning, you two are _out_." 

She laughed nervously. "Understood." 

The boy got up and led Mebh over to the dogs' room. Robyn sat down on the seat, staring out the window as the sun sank out of sight, beyond the horizon. "I'd best be making my way back home," the boy said. Lock this door after me, would you?" 

Robyn nodded, and as the boy walked out she did as he asked. Sitting back down, she sighed, observing the darkening sky through the window. Mebh trotted to beside the grate and sat down opposite of Robyn.

"What do..." She yawned. "What do we do now?" 

"I'll wait until everybody's gone from the area, then I'll open the window, Walk, and try to find you as a wolf," she explained. "You get rest. You'll need it to sneak in when I find your body."

Mebh obliged. Now that the other dogs had gone to sleep, she laid down on the floor and closed her eyes, unsure of where her mind would take her yet.

### Earlier that day

Oisin made it back to the city gates, girl still in tow. He jumped off his cart and motioned to the guards. "I have an emergency!" They walked over to his cart.

"What seems to be the problem, goodman?"

"I was on my way to Galway when I found this girl in the road. I think she's hurt; she won't wake up!"

The guard grunted. "Your best shot is the Magistrate's fortress. Right down the road, can't miss it."

"Thank you." He got back on the cart and rode it down the street all the way through the city. People stared at the girl as he passed. Before long, he had reached the courtyard. 

Another pair of guards approached him. "What's your business here?"

Oisin disembarked once more and moved the girl's body up out of the back of the cart, holding her in his arms. "I need a doctor."

The guard in the left scratched his chin. "The medical wing is off limits for most townspeople." He looked around. "Ye got coin?"

Oisin sighed in frustration. Putting the girl down, he took out his purse and handed the guards several pieces.

"Now we're talking. Alright. Finnegan, take this man and the lass to the medical wing!"

Oison followed the other guard into the fortress as he explained his predicament, guided by torches and the sunlight filtering through the windows. Soon, they had come to a room filled with beds. It was mostly empty, save for the sick guard here or there.

The guard that had led them in declared, "Madam Howley, you have a new patient!"

An old woman, at least sixty years of age, emerged from behind a stack of crates in the corner. "What is it this time, Finnegan? Case of 'the sniffles'?" She sounded rather annoyed.

"No. This man's been telling me that he found a little girl in the road, unconscious, and she won't wake up."

"Let me see," she said, shuffling over to Oisin. "Put her down on one of the beds, will ya?" Oisin did as he was told. Howley felt the girl in various places, likely to make sure she was still alive. When she slapped the girl across the face, Oisin reacted.

"Hey!"

"Strange. That usually wakes them up. What did you say your name was, lad?"

"I didn't - me name's Oisin." 

Howley looked him in the eye. "You did right bringing the girl here. She's sick. Very sick. If you want to make sure she's alright, you can stay in the courtyard until she recovers." 

"That's nice, but I have to resume my dut-"

"Ah, to hell with duties. I'll get the guard to ensure you don't lose your job. A human life is worth more than a lost day's shipment." 

"A week's shipment."

"Whatever. Point is, you did good. I'll give you permission to get something to eat at the guard's barracks. Now get out of me sight. " She shuffled back over to the crates to grab some tonics.

Finnegan and Oisin walked out and down the stairs, into the mess hall Howley had referred to. Oisin sat down at a solitary table, alone in his thoughts. Even with the words of encouragement, guilt still lashed out at his mind; had he _truly_ done the right thing, bringing the girl here? Her parents must have been worried sick.


	3. A Dream and a Half

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robyn goes on the hunt for Mebh's body; Mebh dreams.

In the hills beyond Limerick, there lay a great many men shuffling about, mumbling about the poor condition of their shoes. Each and every one had marched from Kilkenny, through miles of wetland, only to set up camp a mere mile from civilization. There was a reason for this, as the people of Limerick would soon ascertain.

The reason in question exited his tent situated in the center of the camp, hiked to a nearby vantage point, and used his looking glass to observe the city from a distance, under the soft glow of the moon. He sneered. What would happen next was sure to be nothing else but a staggering victory.

Once the last vestiges of the sun's light had left the sky, Robyn got off her chair and opened the shutter on the far side of the room. Climbing back into her previous position, she closed her eyes and leaped outwards. With her senses now improved tenfold, the sounds of the wild surrounding the city and the smells from the city itself hit her all at once. She shook her head to clear her mind and focused on the task at hand. Trotting up to the windowsill, she looked back at Mebh, who was sleeping on the hay-padded floor within the other room. She sighed with a hint of worry, then set off into the night.

Getting into the town wasn't too hard - there were fewer guards here than in Kilkenny, and somehow seemed even more incompetent than the ones she had encountered before, if such a thing were even possible. Only a short way from the kennel, Robyn spotted the front entrance once more, and the two dimwits that had been joking around earlier. They were fast asleep - not surprising. Robyn slipped in through the generously spaced bars in the gate and looked at the town that laid before her.

The town was built much like Kilkenny, although in a more circular fashion. Shops still littered the sides of the main road, with each and every building laid squat in comparison to the fortress in the center; tall and imposing, but not nearly as much as the Lord Protector's castle had been. Robyn sniffed the air. A barrage of spices, foods, and rot assaulted her nose, but through it all, Robyn could isolate just the faintest hint of Mebh's scent. She sighed heavily in relief. They had gone the right way after all. She singled it out, and started following it carefully. 

She could clearly hear every single one of the townspeople dozing off in the houses lining the street, but it only put her on edge. If a single one were to wake, they would all be after her, and this time, she would have no immediate escape. Choosing to prioritize stealth, she leapt upon a nearby pile of crates and jumped up onto the rooftops. 

Under the light of the moon, Robyn ran along as quickly as she could towards the source of the scent. She grew worried as it led her closer and closer to the fortress that towered above the city. Eventually, Robyn stopped delaying the inevitable, and leapt from the rooftops onto the fortress walls. She looked behind her; no turning back now.

Slowly making her way across the wall, she pinpointed the location of the scent: A small wing of the central complex that lay flush with the wall, covered with windows that were over ten feet tall. There was a squatter window in the corner, its shutters moving slowly in place as the wind blew through the courtyard. The windowsill appeared to be _just_ wide enough to stand on, so Robyn resolved that to be her entrance point. As she made her way to the small window, she looked into the courtyard. In the corner lay a man with ginger hair sitting in a cart full of leather sheets. For a moment, Robyn thought he was looking at her, and held her breath... but it was a false alarm. He was fast asleep, just with his head angled at her. She exhaled, and got the rest of the way to the windowsill. 

Poking her snout through the opening between the shutters, she looked inside. The scent of burning candles, as well as their fledgling light, was quite evident. There were a smattering of beds inside, each laid on a hastily built wooden frame. A squat table laid beside each one, but only the beds with people in them had lit candles. Each of the sick men were fast asleep, snoring or coughing in their beds. Robyn poked her head in further and looked around. In a bed on the far side of the room, beside a large pile of crates hastily shoved into the back, was Mebh's body. Robyn stepped inside carefully, and slowly made her way over to the bed. When she got close enough to see better, she cringed a little. Mebh's robes were replaced with a white gown, her earrings had been removed, and her hair had been combed and tied into a braid. She was _not_ going to like this. 

Now knowing of the location, Robyn trotted back to the window and jumped back up atop the wall. She started to jog atop it, then looked into the courtyard and halted. There was a small group of people crossing the courtyard, oblivious to her presence. They all wore robes of high quality, and mumbled amongst themselves. Intrigued, Robyn laid down and listened in to their conversation. 

"...as I was saying, Magistrate, our scouts have seen signs of enemy forces in the surrounding lands. We should mobilize our forces to face an imminent invasion." The small man in red garb looked distressed. Robyn furrowed her brow. Enemy forces?

The tall man in blue responded, "I will do no such thing until I have concrete evidence. The last thing we need right now is the town riled up into a frenzy. We would do well to keep our heads about us." 

The man in red held up his hands. "Sire, I have such evidence." He produced a small dagger from his belt. "It's English standard, and was found in a bog between here and Kilkenny." English standard? Kilkenny? Robyn pondered these two facts, then realized the implications. She immediately leaned in as close as possible to hear the conversation clearly, particularly focusing on the Magistrate.

The Magistrate himself raised his eyebrows, and took the dagger to examine it. When he looked up, it was out of distress. "Notify the Captain of the guard immediately. I will be assigning patrols first thing tomorrow morning across the town. Keep your heads straight, men, for we will be looking death in the eye in these coming days." The Magistrate and his little posse rushed into the fortress once more.

Robyn's heart had dropped into her stomach. The English were invading, and Mebh was still separated from her body. Robyn got up slowly to avoid detection, then halted in her tracks.

The man in the corner was awake, and staring at her. She swallowed in fear. She was surely done for now. 

Yet, the man did not react. The two looked each other in the eye for a good minute, before Robyn suddenly broke into a sprint towards the way she came. She didn't look back. On the way back to the kennel, Robyn obsessed over the implications of what had just taken place. The whole operation would now be far more complicated than what she anticipated.

As Robyn was searching the city for Mebh's body, Mebh herself lay in the kennel fast asleep. It was not the conventional type of 'sleep' she was used to, but it was sleep nonetheless. And with nowhere for her mind and soul to escape to, Mebh dreamt for the first time in her life.

It was indescribable. 

Not that she could tell. As far as she could see, it was perfectly normal. 

She was in her human body again, in a great big green field. The sun and moon rapidly danced around the sky in a patternless fashion, and around her pranced every kind of wildlife. Deer, Badgers, Rabbits, Wolves, and they were all running in circles about her. She didn't know what to make of it, so she laughed. It was all great fun. 

She fell backwards through the ground itself, into the Cave she had grown up in, and fell right in her mother's arms. She smiled, and Mebh smiled back. She looked around. The golden engravings on the walls flowed through each other, morphed into different shapes, and made patterns that defied reason. They grew to a size larger than life, seeming to envelop Mebh in blinding golden light. Mebh shut her eyes to block it out, but it didn't seem to dim.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in her wolf form, looking down at the clearing in which Robyn had gotten herself tied up in a trap. She approached, and just as she did the last time, tried to bite the rope in two. This time, when Robyn's fist connected with her snout, she went spinning to the ground, and the world had changed again. She was running with Robyn and the pack under the full moon, and had just leapt across a chasm. It all had a feeling of vague familiarity, although Mebh still couldn't put her finger on it. The whole experience felt like the most fun she had had in ages, but she couldn't shake the feeling of Deja Vu. Before she could think any further, Robyn came crashing into her, and the world flipped on her again as she tumbled down the hill. 

She was human again, standing in the midst of a crowd gawking at a large stage. A deep voice bellowed from the man on the platform. Mebh's joy immediately turned to fear.

_This has happened before._

She watched in horror as history played itself out, and the monstrous man yanked her mother out onto the platform. She had the overwhelming urge to play along with the memory, but fought it back. 

_This isn't real. I just need to wake up._

She forced herself to look away from the platform, only for the world to shift once more and leave her seeing her mother's lifeless body, lying on the ground. Mebh was on the verge of tears. What had she done wrong? Why was she being forced to live through her personal hell again? 

_Make it stop!_

She fell to her knees, and clasped her mother's fur as it dissolved into golden light. She closed her eyes to wipe away the tears, only to be greeted by her mother's human body. She watched in terror and sorrow as a deep red stain blossomed from her mother's sternum. Mebh was going to scream. She hid her face in her hands for just a moment of solace from the madness. For only a brief moment, she felt a emotional connection to someone. Somewhere. She knew for that moment that they could feel her pain, and that she could feel their fearful reaction. It was completely and totally overwhelming. 

_make it stop make it stop make it stop make it stop make it_

"Mebh!" 

Mebh yelped as she finally woke up from the nightmare. Robyn was kneeling beside her, having undone the latch on the door. Mebh panted heavily as she stood up and looked around. She was still a wolf, and she was still in the kennel with the dogs. She took a deep breath.

"Are you okay, Mebh? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Mebh let go of her breath, and her summary spilled forth. "Oh, Robyn, it was terrible! I was in a field, then I was in the Cave, then I was with you, and then we were running, then we were back in Kilkenny, then mammy was dying, then-"

"Mebh! It's okay. It was just a dream. You had a nightmare. That's all behind us. You'll be fine. Besides, we have more important things to worry about - I found your body."

Her ears perked up. "Where is it?"

"You've been laid in a bed in the fortress in the center of the city. It's not that well guarded, we should be able to get you out easily." Robyn stood up and walked back to the chair just outside the kennel, only to leap back into her wolf form. "Come on." She walked up to the window. "We don't have any time to lose." 

Mebh stretched the stiffness out of her joints and followed suit. Mebh commented, "I am never going to do that _ever_ again." Robyn sighed. 

Pretty soon, the both of them were at the front gate. The guards were both missing. 

"They're probably just changing shifts. At least it's easier to sneak in this way." Mebh took Robyn's word for it, but noted the worried look on her face.

After climbing back up to the rooftops, the both of them ran along as quickly as they could towards the fortress. It wasn't long, however, before the both of them could hear an enormous commotion in the fortress courtyard. Wary of being spotted, they both leapt upon the fortress wall and kept their profile as low as possible. 

In the center of the courtyard, nearly five hundred foot soldiers stood in rank. Mebh watched as a man dressed in battle gear and a blue cape walked up to a small podium before the soldiers, before Robyn stepped in.

"That's not important. Look, your body is _right there_. We can get it, go back to the Wagon, and forget this ever happened." Robyn was on edge now.

Mebh fired back. "What is your problem? Why are you keeping me from seeing what they're talking about?" She was getting annoyed.

Robyn struggled to answer, before groaning. "It's something you shouldn't be worrying about right now! We need to get to your body."

Mebh was indignant now. "No! Not until I get an answer!" 

She did not have to wait long for one, as just after, the man in blue on the podium pronounced loudly, "Men, the English are invading Limerick!"

Mebh looked back at Robyn in shock. She looked ashamed. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"

"I wanted to make sure that you were focused on getting your body back."

"Well, I would have liked to know that the people who nearly killed us before are going to be attacking the city we're in right now!"

Robyn exhaled. "Look, I'm sorry, but we really have to get your body back, or else we'll be trapped in here when they get here."

Mebh grunted in response, and the two of them slowly made their way to the infirmary window. When they had made it, Robyn let Mebh step in first, then headed in herself. Save for the commotion outside, it was in the same condition as Robyn had seen earlier. Mebh followed Robyn between the beds, until she finally saw her body laying on the bed, and stepped back in disgust. "What have they _done_ to me?"

Robyn sighed again. "It's still you. Don't worry about it, we'll fix it later. _You_ need to take back control of it anyway." The pair's ears perked up when they heard steps coming up a flight of stairs just outside the door to the infirmary. "Now, preferably!"

Robyn dived under the bed, and Mebh leapt back into her human body just as the door to the infirmary opened. The moment Mebh re-entered her body, she noticed that the left side of her face was sore; she wondered why. Mebh opened one of her eyes the slightest amount, just to see what was going on. A woman around the age of sixty was passing by each of the beds, waking the soldiers who laid in the occupied ones, and checking on their health. Mebh held her breath as the woman eventually walked up to her own bed, and laid two fingers on her neck. The tension in Mebh's chest released as the woman backed off. 

Then Mebh learned why her face was sore, as the woman forcefully slapped her.

**"OW!"**

The woman yelped in surprise and stumbled backwards. "Y-you're awake! H-how is this possible?!"

Mebh groaned and rubbed her cheek. "Watch where you swing that thing, will ya? That hurt a lot!"

The woman approached once more, slowly. Mebh backed up a little as the woman came closer. "How are you awake?"

She scoffed. "Well, people wake up after they sleep, yeah? There's your answer."

"Well, yes, but... you were out _cold_. I tried everything I knew of and you were still fast asleep. That's some sort of condition, child." 

"Well, I don't see how it's **your** problem. And who gave you permission to do _this_..." - she gestured to her braid - "...to me?" Mebh crossed her arms and put on an expression of frustration.

The woman seemed at a loss for words. "Ah- well, I'm sorry, child, but I did not think ye would wake. I barely expected an adult to come for you." The woman's face lit up. "Although, I do think there's someone who could help ye. Stay here."

As the woman scrambled out the door, staying in place was the last of Mebh's intentions. She leapt down from the bed and dashed towards the window. Robyn crawled out from under the bed, and called out, "Mebh, wait!"

Mebh stopped for a short moment, then scoffed as she turned around. "What for? I'm back in me body. Let's get out of here before all these people blow each other to bits."

"There are hundreds of soldiers out there. What do you think they'd do if they saw a little girl in an infirmary gown with a wolf running away? They'd try _catching_ us, that's what."

"It's nighttime. How are they going to see us?" 

"They probably already have guards up on the walls. They have torches. They'll be able to see us, trust me."

Their argument was cut short as more footsteps came up the stairs. Robyn dived back under the bed, and Mebh, conceding to her better judgement, jumped back on it.

Through the door came the woman from before and a young man with ginger hair. The woman opened her mouth to speak, but was cut short.

The moment Mebh recognized the man's face, her temper shot through the roof. **"YOU."** In her anger, she yelled aloud and leapt upon the man, grabbing him by the collar. He fell backwards onto the floor. The woman gasped in shock. 

"YOU BROUGHT ME HERE!" The man looked Mebh in the eyes with total confusion, which only made her angrier. 

"What in God's name are you doing, girl?!" The woman tried to pry Mebh off of the man, but she held fast.

He laid on the floor blubbering. "Wha- wait! Stop! Why are you doing this? Help!" 

Mebh roared in his face. "Maybe think twice before stealing somebody off the road, yeah?" 

Without thinking, Robyn scrambled out from under the bed and yelled, "Mebh, stop!" But to everyone else, it was just a bark.

All three turned around to look at Robyn, now standing in between the beds, suddenly looking very regretful of her decision. The woman was the first to react. 

**"Wolf!"**

Mebh groaned. "Not this again." As the woman started sprinting for the door to go get the guards, Mebh leapt off the man and slammed the door in the woman's face. She yelped and fell back in surprise. "Calm it, will ya?" 

The man groaned as he got up, looking at Robyn, who was frozen in place, unsure of what to do. He grabbed a candle holder off the nearest table and started to run at Robyn, intending to strike, but was prevented from swinging when Mebh knocked him over again. "Stop trying to bash everybody in _the bloody gob_!" 

The woman got back up, holding on to the wall. "What is the meaning of this?"

Mebh jumped in front of Robyn, thinking as fast as she could of an excuse. The perfect one struck her right then. "This 'ent a wolf! She's my... emotional support dog."

Robyn scoffed. Mebh had come up with an excuse worse than her own. Touché.

The man stood up again, and looked Mebh in the eyes. "Are you kidding with me? _Emotional support dog?_ What is that even supposed to mean?"

"Y'know, when you feel really sad and dead inside, and then you have a dog to make you all cheery!" Mebh smiled sheepishly.

Both the man and the woman looked confused. The woman spoke, "Two things; firstly, how did your 'emotional support dog' get here in the first place? Secondly, my God, girl! Oisin here saved your life! At least show some respect!"

Mebh scoffed, and looked at Oisin. "You did no such thing."

"Excuse me? I had to fight off a wolf from trying to _eat_ you! Thing was bloodthirsty!" He looked offended.

Mebh scowled. "You know what you did? You hit me dog right on the snout. That wasn't a bloody wolf! Right, girl?" Mebh looked back worriedly at Robyn. She played right along with the act, and started acting as though her snout was injured.

Oisin got even more confused. "No, wait. I hit a wolf with orange fur. Your dog is white and grey. I say you've got it all wrong."

"I say you need to get your eyes checked!"

The woman cut in. "Forget that, child! What about your parents? Where were they when he picked you up?"

Mebh struggled to find an answer, but was spared from the responsibility when all four heard an enormous blast from outside the windows.

### 

The pack had had a fruitful journey so far; seven deers, eleven badgers, and twenty-six rabbits. Móll and Bill were pleased to see the pack retreat from the brink of starvation, and put the meat back on their bones. As the pack's health improved, so did their morale. 

Following another successful run on a badger den, the wolves laid about for a bit before the next hunt. 

Bill looked about at the pack and chuckled. "Ah, Robyn. What would we have done without her?"

"We wouldn't have met without her," Móll reminded him.

"True. I shudder to think what state we would all be in without her strokes of genius." Bill sighed. "Sometimes, I think of my old life, and realize how much I shunned her. It is one of my greatest regrets as a parent."

Móll looked at him in sympathy. "Based on what you and her have said about living in that place, it seems to me that was out of your reach in the first place. You shouldn't obsess over that which you cannot control."

Bill sighed. "Thank you for the kind words."

The two looked each other in the eye, feeling better about themselves. It was calming.

Without warning, Móll yelped and doubled over in pain. She dropped her whole body to the ground and covered her head with her paws. Bill was taken aback. "Móll? Móll! Speak to me!" The entire pack stood up and ran over to Móll out of concern. 

Finally, the pain seemed to stop. Every muscle in her body relaxed, but her fur remained on end. 

Bill was almost desperate. "Móll, what's wrong?!"

She forced out what words she could, recovering from the horrific experience. "Mebh... Mebh is in grave danger!"

_To be continued._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the extended hiatus from writing! Finals have been hard on me, and I didn't have enough creative energy to expend in the moment. Will try to keep a consistent schedule in the future.


End file.
